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Summary

Features: The Peace Museum is the first and only of its kind in the United States, exploring the impact of war and peace through the arts. The museum was founded in 1981 by Mark Rogovin, a leading Chicago muralist, and Marjorie Craig Benton, former U.S. Representative to UNICEF. The unique and valuable collection consists of more than 10,000 artifacts including original paintings, sculptures, drawings, ribbon banners, posters, buttons, and lithographs.

Exhibits focus on individual peacemakers and artists, the horrors of war, Central America, domestic violence, human rights, prisons, and women's leadership. Thirteen rental exhibits are available and travel to many cities throughout the U.S. and internationally.

Why We Go: The Peace Museum Chicago was one of two museums in the United States dedicated to peace education, and their collection of artifacts included some of the most important pieces in the history of the anti-war movement.

Exhibits: Exhibitions at the Peace Museum in Chicago were informative and interesting, and included subjects like anti-war music and the squashing of hateful groups in world history.

Artifacts: Famous Chicago anti-war artifacts featured at the former Chicago Peace Museum included a John Lennon guitar, handwritten scriptures from the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., and some amazing photos from the anti-war movements in American history.

Family Friendly: The Peace Museum Chicago was a great family Chicago attraction, and their regular classes promoted peace education in a kid friendly manner.

Inside Knowledge: While the Peace Museum Chicago was originally hoping to relocate, a state lawsuit over assets and lack of financial backing have unfortunately made the potential of relocation unlikely.

Do's and Don'ts:

Do Visit Other Museums: Chicago museumssimilar to the Peace Museum include the Chicago History Museum in the Near North Side, as well as the many smaller museums on the Museum Campus Chicago in the South Loop.

Do Know Your History: The Peace Museum Chicago was dedicated to the history of important peace and anti-war movements that included focusing on peaceful icons in world history, including Mahatma Gandhi, MLK and John Lennon.

Don't Miss Garfield Park: Garfield Park is the former home of the Peace Museum Chicago, and still remains as a quaint Chicago park in the West Side.

Don't Skip the Suggested Donation: Like many Chicago museums, the Peace Museum Chicago had a suggested donation of $5. While not required, we recommend supporting museums in Chicago with the full suggested donation to help avoid the closing of other great Chicago museums.